THE OPENING TIP - QUICK NOTES The University of Minnesota women's basketball team is set to host Ohio State in its Big Ten home-opener on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7:00 p.m. at Williams Arena.  Fans can watch a live stream of the contest on Gophers All-Access, and they can also listen to the game live on 1500 ESPN with Corbu Stathes and Lynnette Sjoquist on the call.  The Golden Gophers host Ohio State in their Big Ten Conference opener with a 12-4 overall record and an even 1-1 league mark. The last time Minnesota opened a year with an 12-4 record was during the 2007-08 season.  The Buckeyes enter Thursday's contest with a 10-5 record on the season and an 0-2 Big Ten Conference record.  Ohio State dropped both games of its Big Ten opening weekend at Iowa, 71-77, in overtime and at home vs. Illinois, 73-79.  It is the first time the Buckeyes have opened the Big Ten season 0-2 since the 2000-01 season.  Minnesota and Ohio State will be meeting for the 63rd time on Thursday, with the Buckeyes holding a 51-11 advantage over the Gophers in the all-time series.  Eight of Minnesota's 11 wins vs. the Buckeyes have come in Minneapolis.  For the second time this season, Kayla Hirt was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Jan. 7 for her performance last week on the road. Minnesota boasts an impressive .459 field goal percentage, which is the 15th-best mark nationally and is the third-highest percentage in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (.479) and Michigan (.471).  With 910 career points, sophomore Rachel Banham needs to score 90 points to become the 21st Gopher in program history to notch 1,000 career points. The guard is currently the Big Ten's second-leading scorer with a 20.6 points per game average.  Junior Micaëlla Riché currently leads the Big Ten with a .586 field goal percentage. The mark also ranks 10th nationally.